The Adventures of Sister Louise
by LordofDrow
Summary: There are few things that he would have expected. For the young scion of the Valliere's to simply vanish leaving only a pair of smoking shoes... Not to mention what might be in that canister left behind in the crater. Meanwhile, Louise must cope with living in another world. Though things are not always as they seem. Can she ever return home?
1. Arrivals, Cloaks, and Daggers

Colbert stared at the center of the Vestry Court. Specifically at the massive crater where the young scion of the Valliere family had most recently occupied. The only things occupying the hole now were a massive metal canister, which seemed to be inert, if smoking slightly, and a pair of small shoes, socks still in them. Had she somehow blown herself from her shoes? No... Colbert shook his head, she had somehow gone away, leaving only the can behind. As he ushered the shocked and horrified students away, he wondered how he was going to break this to Louise's mother.

+++Recording: 258, 007, M42+++ +++Priority Tertius+++ +++Canoness Celeste Cori, Order of the White Rose+++ +++Weekly Report of Kaurava Convent+++

-  
I am pleased by the reports on the new recruit. A strange little girl, barely 17 based on her age. Not that you'd know it to look at her. *a pause in the recording* Pink hair and all, she's barely up to my chest. She was found wandering the local park, straying away from a massive crater in the ground, tearfully muttering about her mother and some 'Try-stain" place. Poor girl, going for a walk in the park with mother and then a shell hits, obviously she's a bit out of it. So we took her in. In other news, Tau advances into our territory...

(THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!)

Louise stared at the hymnal, wondering who had written it, having memorized the words quite quickly her mind wandered. Was she happy here? She felt as though she belonged and many of the women were nice, if a bit dedicated to this 'Emperor.' A couple of 'penances and she had started to stay quiet about where she had come from. A stray thought of her mother crossed her mindscape, bringing feelings of homesickness. She stopped that line of thought, the sister Superior was a quick one with a switch and a moments inattention... A girl to the right nodded slightly.

*Thwack*

Louise grinned, that wasn't her knuckles getting rapped. She thought about the days schedule, perhaps the 'combat training' would end less painfully today. He smaller frame wasn't conducive to common fisticuffs. She was getting rather good at the technique, remembering what the book had said wasn't too hard. It wasn't as though if you moved wrong, the fist wouldn't explode in your face. At least they hadn't dyed her hair like some of the girls. At least that was a bonus.

(A SUSPICIOUS MIND IS A HEALTHY MIND)

+++Recording: 265, 007 M42+++ +++Priority Tertius+++ +++Canoness Celeste Cori, Order of the White Rose+++ +++Weekly Report of Kaurava Convent+++

-  
Novitiate Valliere seems to have a remarkable mind for memorizing, being able to memorize psalms with only a couple of reads, but she's determined to think that she used to be some sort of wizard and mentions some Founder. Now, normally we'd simply turn her over for heresy, but I would hardly call us hasty. She's still shell-shocked, but a few rounds of penance had her story changing quite suitably. Though she seems to have issues with stress, and possibly some old psychological scars about her shape, she's also got a bit of a temper. She may also be somehow both cursed and blessed. She seems to attract shellfire, or at least explosives. They always go off when she starts to rave, fortunately not hurting anyone. It is reported that she has stabilized recently, which is making the other sisters much happier. In preparations for a possible battle, we are moving most of the junior sisters out of the fighting. They would only clog up the corridors. I am keeping Novitiate Valliere here. If she is blessed enough to draw shellfire to her, then the fighting will be much easier in the long run. I can only hope that her mother, rest her soul, would be proud of her daughter. Pink hair and all. The Emperor guides all...

_

Louise swore under her breath during dinner, the combat training had once again left her a mass of bruises and sore muscles. She had to muster up extra energy just to get through the rest of the day, each psalm sung and every duty completed sending new twinges of pain through her. Even her eyebrows hurt. But it was getting easier as her muscles got used to the punishment. The sister in charge hadn't managed to hit her the same way twice this time. The food on her plate seemed more appetizing than the food at home somehow.

She at least had learned to stop swearing by Founder Brimir. That was the wrong person to swear by, but in her head Louise kept the practice up. Somehow, things would change and she would get home. But that could be a long time away. But today she simply had to slog through.

+++Recording: 272, 007 M42+++ +++Priority Tertius+++ +++Canoness Celeste Cori, Order of the White Rose+++ +++Weekly Report of Kaurava Convent+++

Novitiate Valliere is still progressing admirably. Normally I wouldn't stay focused on one of the girls like this, but she is a rather strange case. After an unfortunate incident on the firing range, she has been barred from Bolter training and instead given Flamer training instead. Much less chance of an incident that way, poor Novitiate Dirus was lucky that the hit didn't take her shoulder off. Her close quarters combat skills have increased as Sister Faury has reported. The shelling seems to have stopped, something that has made it much easier for the poor girl to accustomed to Convent life. Soon we shall see what she is like when the chips fall... reports of Tau infiltrators in the area have reached me, filthy xenos... With that I turn to the strategic situation...

Louise trudged around the corner of the training building, knife in hand. She hadn't been hit today, okay she wasn't hit much, but it was a close one. She slumped back against the wall, glad for the rest. A clicking noise nearby roused her from a half-doze. Her new combat training took over, the hand with the knife made a vicious jab at the noise. The knife impacted on something, causing it to move backwards, the air around it rippling with distorted light. A rippling arm rose up in front of her, possibly a weapon. She ducked under it, ramming her shoulder into whatever it was. It wobbled, then moved back slightly. A second transparent arm smashed into her ribs, doubling Louise over. From her lower position, there was only one way out. She drove the knife forwards again, hoping to hit something sensitive. It grabbed her wrist and twisted, making the girl drop the combat knife. Despite her new training, one old instinct still held. she drove a knee into where she thought the warriors groin was. Her knee met armor plate and she screamed in pain and surprise, but it was matched by a groan of very male discomfort. A cup would help, but it couldn't stop Newton. Her other hand went down for the combat knife in that brief second. She had felt a soft spot of merely hardened cloth along that arm. The sound of a steel blade being drawn mingled with hers. Now both sides were armed for the fight... Louise scanned the area, trying to listen for the movement. She would only have one chance at this. A prickling along her spine caused her to dodge backwards, a blade slicing right by her cheek, leaving a shallow cut below her eye. The unseen assailant hissed in annoyance. Louise could hear the sound of someone approaching, whether friend or foe, she had to end this quickly. The next blade left a red ribbon across her stomach exposing muscle, but Louise could now tell what to look for. The third strike was intercepted by her combat knife, leaving a massive bleeding hole in the once invisible arm. Spatters of blue blood hit the ground and the enemy combatant. The sight of the blood stopped Louise... This was no training fight. She had actually spilled blood...she stopped that line of thought right there. She could be shocked later, adrenaline was in control now. The knife in her hand was stained and it wanted more... Her knife dove in again, finding another wedge in the armor. A blue spray covered her suddenly manic face. It was over by now, the serrated combat knife left ragged wounds, and the last strike had hit a major vein. A pair of Sisters rounded the corner, bolters at the ready. Louise grinned at them as she sank to her knees. "Combatant... dispatched..." She forced through pain gritted teeth, desperately forcing back tears.

Louise hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, adrenal rush over, pain coming back and hitting her like a truck. Not the pain of aching muscles, nor harmless cuts with a dinner knife, but actual blade wounds. she barely felt the medicae lifting her onto a stretcher.

+++Recording: 272, 007 M42+++ +++Priority Tertius+++ +++Canoness Celeste Cori, Order of the White Rose+++ +++Urgent Report from Kaurava Convent+++

Tau infiltrators have been detected inside the Convent proper. The first was discovered by none other than our own Novitiate Valliere. she's in the medibay for the moment. Perhaps she will be more coherent when she recovers.

Requesting more forces to cover the Convent and neutralize infiltrating units. If the Emperor wills it, we will have this infestation out soon...  
_

Louise slammed bolt upright in the bed, then slammed back down to the bed, gasping and clutching at the pain in her stomach, like her stomach was going to just fall out. Then she remembered why she was in the bed and why her stomach hurt like hell. That strange invisible being... The one she had... Louise looked directly at her hands, almost expecting to see that blue blood again. She had killed another sentient being, taken her knife and ended the thing. Heard the crash as its armor hit the ground. She stared at her hands as the Sister in charge of the medical ward came around, drawn by the noise Louise had made.

"Calm down, you aren't that badly wounded..." She drew back the covers to take a look at the dressing. "See, it's not all that bad. You'll have a bit of a scar on your cheek there..." Louise brought her hand to her cheek, fingers tracing the line of raised tissue. She withdrew her fingers and looked up again.

"I- I- I killed it." Her hands unconsciously started to rub against the blankets. The medicae grinned.

"And a good job you did, once we got that armor off the Tau we saw how you did it, you had hit a major vein in its arm. Add that to the earlier wounds, and the xeno was dead on its feet. Sister Faury is simply glowing with pride. You remembered your training pretty well. Though," The medicae pointed to the stomach wound. "She'll give you merry hell for that one. But if you can't see it, you can't dodge as well. Now rest up, you don't have much time. Canoness Celeste wants to debrief you on this."

"Why would she want to see-" Louise started to protest, but the Sister just gave her a Look, and moved away to tend to someone else. Louise strained her neck to look at the girl, realizing that it was the girl that she had wounded in her brief lesson on those 'bolters.' The oversized muskets were painfully loud and horribly unwieldy, no wonder it had misfired. She looked away ashamed. The painkillers started to kick in again and she settled into the pillow.

Her dreams were full of home, nearly a month gone from home and she still couldn't stop thinking of her family. Sometimes they were happy memories, other times... This was not one of the good ones. She could see her mother mourning privately in the solar. Tears dripping down her face and a pair of shoes in her hand... Louise realized that they were her shoes. The ones she had worn back in Tristain, "Mother," Louise muttered. Louise could feel a deep sadness. The dream moved, in an upstairs room her sister Cattleya wept, looking at a worn piece of paper in her hands, reading it over and over again. It might have been one of her old letters. Even in the dream, Louise felt her own eyes tear up in response "No, Cattleya..." Suddenly the dream was filled with a golden light, Louise stumbled back, blindly pawing at her face, and woke up.

Louise woke up, rubbing tears and sleep from her eyes as the sun played across her face. Her hand scrabbled against the bedside table, looking for water. Her stomach still hurt, but it was healing nicely. Only occasionally sending little lances of pain through her spine. A few muscles needed to heal themselves together now. But that was not what had Louise's attention at the moment.

Someone was sitting at the foot of her bed, head hunched over in prayer. Louise was curious, but didn't want to interrupt, eventually curiosity won out over protocol. "Hello? May I help you..." Louise noticed the little markings and the different dress-style. "Canoness?" Louise finished weakly.

"Ah, Novitiate Valliere, you awaken at last, I am sorry to bother you during a recovery, but it is necessary." The Canoness pulled the chair forwards, the medicae oddly absent for this time of day. "I wish to speak to you about your 'experience' yesterday. What you fought, was only an advance scout of the Tau Empire. The xenos have been making moves into territory that belongs to us for quite some time now. Was there anything in particular about your opponent that you remember?" Louise shuddered, still somewhat insecure about what had happened, still wondering if it was right to kill another.

"I..." She steeled her nerve, "I could not tell Canoness. His invisibility made it impossible to identify anything."

"Both good and bad. Good in that obviously they were not planting bombs, but bad in that we have no idea of their plans." The woman stood up, brushing her short-cropped hair out of her face. "Recover quickly Novitiate, I shall require your... aid, get that pink head of yours some rest." Louise did not like the sound of that, not one bit.

- -  
+++Recording: 273, 007 M42+++ +++Priority Tertius+++ +++Canoness Celeste Cori, Order of the White Rose+++ +++Report from Kaurava Convent+++

Advance Tau scouts have been intercepted, remaining forces unknown. Novitiate Valliere is to be tested as soon as possible. Her progress is far too fast to be a normal girl. Suspicion of being a psyker isn't rampant, but it's there. Reports of the 'shellfire' also doesn't check out with other shellings. Her 'talent' seems to be remarkably consistent, and far saf- I shall cease writing here. If it is confirmed... I feel sorry for the girl, she had quite a lot of promise.  
- -

Colbert looked at the letter he had written, trying to avoid seeing it again. He had only made a copy to remind himself what he had to do. But that did not make it pleasant.

'Dear Karin de la Valliere,

I regret to inform you that, during the Springtime Familiar ritual, your daughter, Louise le blanc de la Valliere, was...' He stopped reading there, again. To lose a student in such a manner, no recovery, no nothing. Just the shoes. He had sent those with the copy of the letter. There was a knock at the door. He waved it open, using a little magic to expedite the process. The green-haired form of Miss Longueville came in, bearing a notebook and a stack of papers.

"I am sorry for the girl, she seemed promising." Miss Longueville said as she laid the papers down. "Was there anything to that canister that was left behind? Some clue as to her whereabouts?" Colbert glared at the routine papers.

"I wish I knew, but other than the eagle design on the side, it's blank." Colbert desperately wanted there to be something on the shell, but nothing was forthcoming. The former battlemage straightened his glasses, his eyes softening slightly before turning hard and cold. "Thank you miss Longueville. That will be all for today. I believe that the headmaster has work for you to do." The letter disappeared into a drawer as Colbert pulled out a pen and started to work. The strange canister was in his workshop now, ready for dis-assembly. Perhaps a secret lay inside of it.  
- -

Louise staggered upright, supported on one side by a bedside table, and on the other side by the medicae. Her stomach hurt, and she wanted to curl up into a ball, but it was possible to stand. She flopped back onto the bed, carefully trying not to aggravate the damage.

"You're doing quite well, you should be out of here in a few days." The medicae made some checks on a dataslate. Louise couldn't see what, nor did she want to. The insane things these people had, little boxes that acted like paper, airships that didn't run on windstones... She was tired of faking it.

"Thank you, I'll do my best to heal quickly..." Louise said to the retreating white back. 


	2. Welcome to the Club

_

A solid week... One whole bloody week she was stuck here convalescing. Louise was sick of it. She had asked for someone to bring her books, scriptures, hymnals, anything she could do to stave off boredom. But it was all coming to a close soon. Louise watched as the medicae cut the stitches carefully, the remnants of the thread were supposed to dissolve on their own inside the body, something that confused Louise slightly, but she faked a mild interest, merely removing the outside. She reveled in sitting up once again, feeling no pain from her stomach and setting her book on the bedside table. That's when the pile of books on the table toppled over on top of her. Something that got a chuckle from the bed across the aisle.

"So, you're out of here soon at least." It was Novitiate Dirus, the two had occasionally talked, but their conversations were usually brief and hostile.

"Yes, I can finally," Louise hesitated for a fraction of a second, remembering what she could 'finally' do. "Resume my duties..." Louise took a closer look at the girl across from her. Her dark hair and pretty face reminded her of someone, but who? "I- I- I'm sorry for your shoulder."

"Considering that you shot me, it's a little late." Dirus retorted,

"I had no intention of shooting you, the weapon was too heavy and it knocked my aim." Louise said defensively, remembering just what had happened. "If it'll make you feel better, I'm now in 'flamer' training." The word was still somewhat new and she pronounced it with care. "It's got less of a kick." She didn't like the bulkiness of the weapon, nor the pack, but it was something. Even if it was a fire weapon. She wasn't a mage anymore, not here. She had seen the woodcuts of what they did to 'witches' here. As much as it irked her, she had put that aside.

"Yeah, now you can completely burn someone to a crisp... Good move."

"Look, I apologized, what more do you want?"

"Well, a new shoulder wouldn't hurt."

"I'll get to it, though I'm-" Louise remembered where she was and stopped, she had been about to say something about water magic. "No really, can I help you somehow, I feel guilty."

"Yes, you can. Don't shoot anyone else, I'll be watching you," Dirus mock-glared and stopped at Louise's expression "though you still seem a little shaken by what happened with that infiltrator. Your first taste of battle? They say it's a make or break moment."

"Y-yes. I hadn't had anything like that happen at home." Wherever home was. I don't know where I am and I can't possibly send a letter. Emperor damn-it all... Louise stopped, blinking. Had she just thought that? Had she been here so long that the local sayings were safer, easier to use, and less likely to end in penance? Louise tried to remember one of her childhood prayers, finding it to be more difficult than before. It was there, but she had to 'think' about it now. The door at the end of the ward opened.  
+++ +++

It was a rumor that spread in two ways, in the underclass it would go nowhere, there wasn't much call for that sort of thing unless you were writing a newspaper. In the nobility, it would spread like ebola. Not something that could be let out. However it did spread just enough to reach some very privileged ears. Princess Henrietta stared at the paper in her hands, daring it to be wrong. Her childhood friend dead and gone? Not possible. There would at least have to be an inquest. However it would have to be discreet. She looked at her bodyguard,

"Agnes, attend me." She moved into a private chamber, away from prying eyes. "I have just gotten some shocking news." She showed Agnes the note. "I wish to make inquiries at the academy. You know how to do just that."

"Yes milady. Shall I have a team assembled?"

"No, not a full team, keep it small, four at maximum. Viscount Wardes will most likely wish to go along. She was his fiancee after all, they always did seem very close." Henrietta looked down, wringing her hands. Was it worth it for just a childhood friend? There were other things to worry about, but this was personal. Her first- Henrietta blushed slightly before resuming her normally stoic countenance. Personal wasn't the same as important, but it couldn't be ignored.

Louise was ushered into the small dimly lit office. She wasn't sure why, she hadn't been told. Sister Faury had simply come to the med-bay, picked her up, and pushed her out the door. No explanation was forthcoming. The door shut behind her with a worryingly final *click.* Her eyes darted around the room, taking note. It was one of the classrooms, chairs and tables neatly ordered in rows. A small table lamp illuminated the front desk. She almost didn't notice the hunched figure sitting in the corner, nor the other figures in the far reaches of the room.

"Come in miss Valliere. Quite a lot of fuss about you." It was a mans' voice "Have a seat."

"Sir?"

"Come come, do sit down. I don't want to keep a lady waiting." Louise felt patronized. She also felt a slight headache coming on, like something in her mind was being poked. She pulled out a chair and sat down, blinking away the ache in her stomach and head. "Good Louise." She heard footsteps behind her and the feeling of someone looming over her. A curtain was twitched aside and the room filled with mid-afternoon sunlight, revealing the man. He was tall, dark-haired and sharp-nosed. He reminded her of a predatory bird. At this point he was smiling benevolently.

"You asked for me to come sir, and I have." Louise was losing her patience, but kept it in check. This was no time for an incident, besides, she was safe in the Convent.

"That I have dear girl. Now... who is Cattleya?" His smile had gone from overly friendly to predatory in an instant.

"Cattleya? She was my sister." Louise took refuge in the truth, as much of it as she dared.

"Right, your sister... Not like the sisters here I would suspect." The prodding in Louise's skull increased, somehow the two were connected.

"N-no. She was very ill."

"Well, that much is true. But you're keeping things from me girl, and I do not appreciate it." He pulled a small insignia from around his neck, a stylized =][= necklace. "Do you know what this means?" Louise didn't fully, but she had done a little research on the 'Imperium.' Some of the books were rather old and not very descriptive, but enough fragments and you can piece something together.

"That you are a holy Inquisitor?" She said, trying to keep her tone straight. The patronizing attitude, the prodding, the headache... It was hard enough to keep it all straight.

"That's right, I am Inquisitor Havenrock of the Ordo Hereticus, you seem to know quite a lot. You're smarter than you let on. You're a lot tougher than you seem too." He advanced, the friendly smile completely gone. "Now, tell me everything..." He placed his fingers on her temples. Louise blinked, then the pain started. She couldn't see anymore, it felt like her head was coming off. Her hands gripped the chair, white knuckles straining. Images flashed in her mind, images of home, of the academy... Of battlefields strewn with bodies and cities burning bright. Then something snapped, and in the darkness, Louise mumbled.

"Fireball..."

The explosion ripped through the empty room, chairs and tables flung into the walls along with the Inquisitor and his bodyguards. All picked up and thrown like paper dolls in a stiff breeze. Only Louise and her chair remained, charred and blackened but relatively unharmed, Louise slumped over in the center with tears streaming from her eyes. The first bodyguard on his feet drew a laspistol, taking aim at her head. "Shall I take the shot sir?"

"No. Do not kill her, however I do believe our search has come to an end. Detain her and her friend in the med-bay. She may know more about the girl, and I need a new pair of Sororitas ever since the incident on Gavarrone." The sound of approaching boots started to penetrate the barricade of broken tables. "Now, I have some business to attend to with the Canoness. Do clean up." The debris blocking the door scattered and Inquisitor Havenrock simply strolled past the startled Sororitas in the hall.

"Yes Lord." The bodyguard groaned. "Move you bastards, at least there's no plague-zombies this time."  
- -

Louise groaned, and tried to shift her arms to a more comfortable position. They went *clink*. She opened her eyes, the room was dark, there was also a faint background hum that she couldn't place. She seemed to be in some sort of long semi-dark room. A few dimmed lights shed only trace illumination. A pair of cuffs were holding her hands together. Something to her right shuffled.

"You're awake." It was Dirus. "What did you do? You leave, then something explodes and I get dragged out too." Louise looked over, her eyes adjusting to the gloom. Dirus was also in a bed, with assorted pieces of medical equipment beside her.

"I... He was in my head, then it all-" Her voice trailed off. "I don't know what I did. Not anymore." Louise sat up, scrunching back into the wall behind the bed. "The Inquisitor didn't say."

"Inquisitor? Louise... What did you do, what are you?" The fear in the other girls voice was palpable.

A door opened at the far end of the room, bright light spilling into the gloom. The silhouette in the door flicked a hand to the side, the lights in the ceiling switching on, making their accommodations visible. It was a long room, with a few beds, each ending in a footlocker. The Inquisitor walked down the room, stopping next to Louise.

"Consider yourself lucky, Louise Francois de la Valliere... Especially considering what you did." He pulled a small container out of his pocket, flipping it open. The scent of lemons filled the air as he popped a small candy into his mouth. "Lemon drop, no? Suit yourself."

"Candy? You take me and leave me in chains and you offer us candy?" The man was infuriatingly nonchalant.

"Yes, we got off to a rather poor start, your mind was a lot easier to read when you weren't resisting me." He crunched away at the citrus sweet.

"You read my mind!?" Louise protested.

"I am a psyker. But I suppose you neglected that area of study. Considering what they do to 'witches' as you thought." Louise looked down, the pictures had been very explicit, especially the little screaming faces. Dirus, who had remained silent up to this point, spoke.

"Wait, you're saying that she's some sort of witch?" She recoiled from Louise, as well as someone with a mangled shoulder could.

"Yes, but an interesting one. I detect no Warp taint on her yet, then again, you two should know these things since you will be working together directly for me. I'm already in enough trouble as it is. Word of this is not to leave this room, do you hear?"

"Yes Lord." The girls chorused.

"I thought so." He stood, "I'm glad we had this chat. Sister Dirus, do be prepared for the upcoming procedure. Your shoulder is not going to heal well enough for you to perform your duties."

As soon as the Inquisitor left and the door slid shut, Louise turned and asked, "What did he mean by that?" Dirus blinked a bit before replying. Louise thought she saw a tear, but it was just the light.

"My arm, I'm going to lose my arm." She looked at the still torn shoulder. "They're going to take it and replace it."

"I... It's a new shoulder at least?" The glare Louise received showed how well that reference had worked. "What have I gotten myself into?" Louise muttered, shrinking into the pillow.  
_ 


	3. Introductions are made

_  
Dirus had been taken some hours later, a pair of medicae came into the room, wheeling a stretcher behind them, the sister had gone oddly quiet, and didn't resist. Though Louise could swear she heard some of the prayers she knew so well coming from the stretcher as it squeaked its way out. After several hours of waiting, she started fiddling with the chains on her arms. Apparently they weren't very well fitted, or at least they hadn't particularly been fastened to anything. A couple of quick and painful pulls and she slipped her wrists through the manacles, which left her hands lightly torn but stinging. After that, she decided to go for a little bit of a walk. The hallways were cramped and only moderately lit. Occasionally a crewman would pass her, notice the small tattoo on her cheek, and make a quick sign with their hands. Soon, the hallways got wider, the lighting better, and definitely more crowded. Louise was forced to duck into a large side-room by a heavy work-servitor that had decided to head through her rather than around. She swore under her breath at the servitor before turning to look at the room, a man in green was standing at the window, he seemed to not have noticed her. Then she looked beyond the room, to the window, and what she could see outside it. Slowly she moved to the window, never taking her eyes off its contents.

Louise stared through the glass, her mouth hanging open in a silent 'ah.' Before her, the planet hung, suspended like a toy, a blue-green orb in a sea of stars. "Is it always like this?" She turned to the man standing beside her, his armor marking him as one of the guardsmen that were included in the Inquisitors retinue. Louise vaguely remembered him as being there when she had been... inducted. He occasionally looked at her from where he was standing. His beard, speckled with gray, reminded her of her fiancee.

"It can be, miss, times like this make you forget what had to be done to get to it, or why we're here." Louise judged it best not to pry, he didn't seem to hold anything against her and she preferred to keep it that way.

"I've never been... in 'orbit' before." There were so many new words and concepts, they were mind-boggling. Planets, systems, an entire galaxy to live in, she had never thought of it. Though there was a lot of information that she still wasn't apparently cleared to know. She felt like the moment could last forever, the line delineating day and night spreading across the planet, cities on the dark side sparkling like private star-systems.

"It's obvious, you seem to be okay though." He offered a hand, smiling. "Name's Perrin, Perrin Miltyk, at your service."

"Louise... Valliere," Louise decided to skip the honorifics of her name. She hoped he didn't notice her hesitation. "At your service." She finished. Perrin smiled, causing Louise to look back at the planet quickly.

"Well, at least you're a well mannered young girl. The last Sister we had was quite the hellraiser. Couldn't go a day without something either catching fire or exploding." At that mention, Louise's grin became slightly fixed. If she didn't need to cast spells, then there would be no explosions...

"Thank you," another hesitation, "Would you like to be called Perrin, or by your full title?"

"That's a first, a Sister asking me how I would like to be called-"

"Oh, I'm not a full Sister yet, but that's no matter."

"If I was allowed to finish, you could call me Perrin." The guardsman chuckled at Louise's expression of relief and slight embarrassment. The pair of them both hopped, however, when they heard a voice behind them.

"Miltyk, and Valliere, just the pair I was looking for." Inquisitor Havenrocks sharp features appeared, reflected in the window. "Though I hadn't expected you to get loose m'dear." Louise rubbed her wrists, the stinging had gone away and the slight cuts had sealed very quickly. "Now, Miltyk, you are to teach this girl how to fight. She was receiving good reports on her close quarters drill, but her aim with anything other than a flamer leaves something to be desired." Louise cringed at the slight reminder of Dirus' current predicament. Perrin started to ask:

"Yes lord, is there any specific training you wish, or shou-" Havenrock shut him up by talking over him.

"I leave it in your capable hands. Just remember not to wound her too badly, even if she did kill that xeno with a knife, she's still new to it." At this, the guardsman glanced at Louise with a very interested expression on his face. "I do also believe that your friend will soon be out of surgery. If you want to see her, I would suggest waiting as the medicae have told me that the sedatives will take some time to wear off."

"Killed a xeno with a knife eh..."

"It was just after close-quarters drill. It tried to kill me, even though I couldn't see it fully, its footprints told me enough. I realize now that I was incredibly lucky."

"I would say so. No knife-fight is perfectly clean. Tell me, where did it get you?"

"It got my stomach, tore the muscle up quite badly, but not uncleanly. It was fully a week before I was able to move around, and however long it was up here. Not painful now, but still stiff."

"You were lucky, most of the time it's worse. Now, since you have a few hours, I'll show you some better tricks. If you thought that cut was bad, the things I've seen." Perrin shuddered as if remembering something terrible. "Nevermind, I'll show you to the small armory."

"Lead on... Perrin." Louise followed the man out of the room, doing her best to keep her mind off of certain things. [i]'you know, in this light, he does look kind of like Wardes.'[/i] She grit her teeth and tried to think of pink manticores.  
- -

Osmond stared across the desk at the four people now sitting in his office. The Void Day release from classes had been completely subdued, few of the second-years had felt like celebrating the lack of school. It wasn't mourning, just a sense of unease, as if something even worse was coming. He knew he could recognize Count Wardes, even through the disguise. The other three, they looked like mercenaries, though the blonde woman seemed tougher than the others. A shame she was wearing pants, the old man thought as he scratched Motsognir between the ears. "And what brings you to the academy, Monsieur Wardes, I had not expected a visit from yourself." Wardes snapped back:

"You know exactly what brings me here Osmond." The Lightning Count seemed quite agitated.

"Well, with the most recent events, I would assume it would be because of the disappearance of Miss Valliere. However I had hoped to keep the conversation light, so as not to arouse suspicion, prying ears and all. You seem particularly well-traveled, are you sure that you wouldn't like some tea. My secretary, Miss Longueville, is very good."

"No thank you sir, but you are right," Wardes closed his eyes and calmed down. "I wish to investigate her disappearance, preferably without raising suspicion."

"Then I would suggest that you speak to the Professor who was overseeing her class that day. Professor Colbert can show you what happened. He can also show you the strange device that appeared in her stead. It seemed familiar, but barely." Osmond could remember something similar from long ago, but his memory wasn't what it used to be.

"If Professor Colbert could help, please tell me where he is."

"At this time of day, on this particular day of the week. I would suggest the Fire tower, where he normally teaches and works."

"Thank you headmaster." Wardes stood, gesturing for the others to follow as he strode out the door. His once confident and proud step lower and more uncertain. Osmond smiled to himself as he lit his pipe, trying to commit to memory the sway of the female mercenaries backside as she walked out the door.  
- -

Colbert stared at the canister, it took up most of a worktable just by itself. He readied a crowbar to pry open the end, where it seemed to be more segmented, when someone knocked on the door. He put down the crowbar, removed his smoked-glasses and went to open the door. "Ah, hello, you're lucky you caught m- Oh, good afternoon Count." He said quickly, ushering the group inside.

"I have been told that you were present during the... incident." Wardes said, seating himself in a convenient chair. The woman with Wardes glared at Colbert, though he didn't know why.

"I... I was supervising the Spring Ceremony that day, yes that is true."

"Do you know exactly what happened? Tell me the whole story, I wish to hear it from an impartial eyewitness."

"No I don't know, Miss Valliere started her chant, it was different from the usual one, but the words are less important than the actual spell itself." Colbert gestured for the others in the room to seat themselves at nearby tables, which the musketeers did. Colbert had known enough soldiers to be able to tell one at sight. "Her wandwork was well practiced and didn't waver for an instant. She completed the spell, then the explosion happened. At first I thought it was simply another failure, like so many other teachers had reported. The smoke cleared, and all that remained were her shoes and that canister behind you." Colbert gestured at the shell on the table. "I was about to attempt to open it again, see if there was something inside, when you knocked. Would you like to help?"

"If this was in Louise's place, it might hold a clue."

"I can certainly hope so." Colbert put on his face-mask in case something caught fire and hefted the crowbar again. "Now, if you could hold the side while I pry the bottom off, it will keep the object from slipping." Wardes and Agnes moved to the side of the shell, gripping it as tightly as possible while Colbert wedged the prybar into the pin-gap. "Pull!"

The pair twisted, trying not to budge the steel case while the professor heaved on the crowbar. Nothing budged, nothing shifted. "Oh well, I'll simply have to cut my way through. It was a good try though, thank you Count Wardes, and your... lady." He dropped the tool on the table next to a very large augur arrangement. "Now, since I have told you all I can, is there anything else you would like to know. There isn't anything that I could find in the Vestry court despite my most careful surveys."

"No Professor, please continue to attempt to open that canister, we will be staying for a short time, so if you happen to find anything, do notify me." With that Wardes and the three musketeers left the room, the door closing with a quiet *chunk.*

"Now, to get down to some serious work." Colbert donned the mask once again and started to set up the augur.

_ 


End file.
